Rockstar News

French teenager Dylan Ferrandis scored a fifth place moto finish for Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki in the Portuguese round of the FIM World MX2 Motocross World Championship at Agueda. Newcomer Jason Clermont scored points in both races, for his first GP with the team.

Agueda has always been a demanding track, and for the first time since Thailand the riders had to face ‘hot temperatures’ with 25°C in Portugal. The ground was rough and slippery on Saturday, and was more wet on Sunday as the organisers watered the track during the night.

Now a top ten regular after a difficult start to the season as he recovered from injuries operation this winter, Dylan Ferrandis recorded his best result of the season to date when he crossed the finishing line in fifth place at the end of the first tough race around the demanding track in the hills 30 kilometres from the Atlantic coastline. A repeat or better performance was expected in the second race as the teenager charged through the field and was in fifth position again during the opening lap, but a wayward rival caused a collision, the impact snapping the chain of Ferrandis' machine to eliminate him from the race.

Deprived of the services of Valentin Teillet for the remainder of the series after specialists discovered more serious damage in his shoulder than had previously been diagnosed, Rockstar Bud Racing Kawasaki drafted in young Frenchman Jason Clermont for the weekend. Coming back to the GP’s, the former 85cc European Champion who was racing the MX1 class in France tested the bike a few days before the event; he responded admirably to the team’s expectations with points-scoring rides to nineteenth and fifteenth.

Dylan Ferrandis: “ I had a good feeling with this track right from the first practice session, and I qualified in fifth place. My start in the first race was great; I raced top six all race to finish fifth, even though I had some discomfort from pumped-up forearms as it’s the first the this season that I have been racing at the front of the pack. My second start was not as good but I made a lot of good passes on the first lap and had just passed Charlier before he jumped on my bike and my chain was broken with the impact. It’s frustrating, but I’ve no more physical problems and feel that I’m improving and I will soon be battling for podium results.”

Jason Clermont: “I only tested the bike a few hours before coming here, and it was great to come back to the GPs on a good 250. I had good lap times in the races, but I need to improve my starts, to be faster in the corners and be more aggressive during the first few laps to get better results. I came from a long way back in both races to score points each time, and this was a demanding track to race for my return to the GPs.”